'Banana Ketchup': Why a popular Filipino condiment has been missing from store shelves
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A popular Filipino condiment has been missing from store shelves because of an import ban by the FDA.
Banana sauce, also known as banana ketchup has been a beloved staple in Filipino cuisine since the 1940s. It's often used as a sauce, marinade or even in spaghetti.
However, last month the FDA issued an alert for certain food additives. A number of popular banana ketchup brands, such as JUFRAN and UFC, contain "potassium iodate." Some shipments from the Philippines, where they're manufactured, have been halted.
ABC7 News called a number of Asian grocery stores across the Bay Area that were sold out. At Pacific Supermarket in South San Francisco, we found some bottles still on the shelves. But there was a four-per-person limit.
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The shortage hit some customers hard. A father named Tristan said it's his daughter's favorite condiment.
"I'm kind of sad. We've been using it for years," he said.
Vinny Dayao, head chef and co-owner of Filipino catering company Uncle Tito, says even he had a hard time getting banana sauce a few weeks ago.
"Even reaching to our Filipino purveyor we use, they don't even get the shipments in anymore," Dayao said.
Dayao explained how deciding on how to use ingredients can be a delicate balance between tradition and evolving.
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"It's all about adjusting what we can do. Now, we can use products that are more available to us without hurting our budget and costs. Just making sure we're using a reliable product at the end of the day. Sometimes we don't want to mess with our mom and dad's recipes, too. We want to treat it with respect moving on," he said.
Dayao says he has been making his own.
"The good thing about making your own banana ketchup, you can control what's in it and the sauce is brighter. It's fresh," he said with a smile.
Media outlets in the Philipines are reporting the maker of several popular banana sauce brands are now re-formulating their products.
